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Second Age: Age of Expansion
1-114 Age of Expansion For the first 100 odd years of the Second Age, there was a relative peace amongst its inhabitants. There was still the normal raiding of clans and tribes, but more and more people were binding together to build something more permanent. Clans became fiefs, and in the far north and east, the fiefs were massive and strong. The other great change from the more warlike period of the latter First Age was that people were starting to resettle elsewhere. If the area around them was too crowded, or if some of their neighboring clans were too bellicose, people found it easier to move to newer areas. 1-114 Ûr & Ka United The first century of the Second Age is a paradox in the lands of the Ûr and Ka Underfolks as compared to the rest of the Second Age. The clans of the Ûr & Ka became great in a short decade and then proceeded to build the most massive fortresses that Eirethune would ever see. 17-34 Great Keep of Thab Nardiak The Great Keep of Thab Nardiak, of the Kabendis clan, would be the largest fortress of all time. No city even today has as many towers or as thick walls as this great citadel. Thab Nardiak1 was of the Orcrad Underdweller race and was probably the greatest orator of his time, and probably of his race. He convinced all of the eight greatest clans of the Great Steppes that they had the ability and resources to build monuments to their own greatness, and the greatness of the Ûr and Ka races. The Ûr primarily were the laborers, and the Ka primarily the miners and engineers. The Orcrad were an exception being part of both labor castes. Thab Nardiak held counsels often and kept a stream of representatives from each of the 8 coming and going to the Great Keep as work on it progressed. The Great Keep became a center for clan diplomacy and justice while each clan focused on building their own protective towers. 20-88 Dûnthang Towers of the Eastern Steppes The word Dûnthang has a meaning in the old tongues which approximates ‘acceptance of clan’. It doesn’t imply connection, cooperation or admiration, yet it is still a strong acceptance of clan. The , however, must be accepted to be some of the greatest building achievements of the Second Age. 20-35 Kharin Dûn The Dwarves of the Kharin clan were the first to begin building their tower. They were great miners and the stone that was cut for their Tower was harder than any substance that could be found elsewhere in Eirethune.2 24-33 Kazden Dûn The Dwarves & Gnomes of the Kazden clan were the first to finish their tower. They were great engineers and their tower was larger and taller than any tower in Eirethune would ever be.3 28-41 Gorgen Dûn The Orcs of the Gorgen clan built their tower next. The Gorgen clan was the most diplomatic of the Ûr clans, next perhaps to Kabendis. The Gorgens were friends with Kazden clan and used many of their engineers to help build their impressive tower of the plains. The Gorgen clan was also the greatest riders of the Eastern Steppes.4 33-47 Kirgandor Dûn The Orcs of the Kirgandor clan built one of the more weaker towers; however, their clan was never weak. The Kigrandor were Kabendis’ greatest rivals and worked to sway the Ûr mindset away from cooperation and more towards dominance5. The most impressive construction of Kirgandor Dûn was its doors. The Doors of the Tower were made of Iron and Bone with great engravings on both substances which recited the clan history.6 39-59 Kalabor Dûn The Dark Elves, Gnomes & Dwarves of the Kalabor clan built a tremendously tall tower, perhaps the tallest tower next to the great spire of Calandoriel. Kalabor was led by the Dark Elves who used their substantial diplomatic abilities to appease and control the clan which was primarily Underfolk.7 48-63 Gagbin Dûn The Gagbin clan was not only the largest clan in the Eastern Steppes, but it was comprised of all of the Ka & Ûr races, as well as the outcast Madur elves who found their way to the east. To that end, the tower of the Gagbin was the most intricate and varied. Different parapet styles on each of the main walls; even the doors and gates of the Tower were completely different from one another.8 57-75 Grogthank Dûn The Orcs of the Grogthank clan were always the outsiders from the rest. Their tower was not very impressive, but it took a long time because they were watching the political fighting between Kirgandor and Kabendis.9 They did not trust Thab Nardiak, but they did not speak against him either, preferring to lie in wait and see what would happen. 63-84 Kabendis Dûn The Orcrad of the Kabendis clan built a great tower to house their elders. It was started last because of the focus that the clan put on getting Thab Nardiak’s citadel built. However, Kabendis Dûn was probably the strongest of all of the Ûr towers. 8-114 Construction of the West In the western Madur lands, there was a great deal of construction as well. The Khalid-Ka clans were grouped into a few much larger clans, while the Madur clans remained feudal. Because of the feudalism of the West, many different towns and cities were founded, as opposed to the eight great towers of the Khalid-Ka. 18-64 Coastal Fief Construction Along the Bryan, the Tcherna Sea and the South Seas, there was the ability to fish and trade easily with other seafaring clans. Good harbor locations marked the ability for clans to prosper and grow. As time progressed, clans joined the successful harbor clan and a town would grow. The host clan would also grow in power and begin dominion over small spheres of influence, scattered along the coast of Eirethune. 35-114 Birth of the Great Cities Many of the greatest cities of today were created during this era. In the case of cities, there was a diplomatic or military grouping of powerful clans who wished to establish a basis of dominion in a region. Each of the greatest nations of today had at least one city created during this period from these so-called clan coalitions. 65 Peace of the Trees - Elven Triumvirate Born The hills, meadows and forests of Glenhome had long been the ancestral homeland for most of the elves of Eirethune. There had been ethnic divisions between the Elven groups: High, Meadow, Wood & Hill (Dark), which caused each group to distrust and conduct warfare against the others. After a short period of raiding between all of the groups in the middle of the 1st century, the High Elf leader Dalinien10 resolved that he had had enough of the bloodshed that the ethnic divisions had caused. He called forth to the leaders of each of the four Elven groups, Aliania of the Meadows11, Galanadran of the Wood12, and De’Adoro of the Hills, in hopes of ending the violence between them and setting up a governing body that would represent each group. All three leaders were receptive to Dalinien’s ideas, but unfortunately, both Galanadran and Aliania refused to be seated near De’Adoro. The raids and wars in the hills were very vicious, and the Hill Elves were known for their propensity for vengeance and deception in diplomacy. 13 Both the Meadow and Wood elves had been recently at war with the Hill elves, and so there would be no talk of sharing leadership with them. Dalinien was gravely disturbed by this inability of the Wood & Meadow Elven leaders to put aside their differences, but there would be no changing their minds. So the Elven Triumvirate was born between the non-Hill elves, but Dalinien made it very clear that although the Dark Elves would not be part of the governing body, there would be no warfare aimed at them while the Triumvirate ruled. The Dark elves were given a peace that they long desired, but unfortunately at the expense of being outsiders to the rest of the elves. 40-120 Drifts in the East There were two migrations during this period which resulted in the settlement of lands which had previously had only a few clans or were unpopulated. In each case, the settlement was driven by the need to get away from the somewhat claustrophobic nature that their source area had been growing into. 64-120 Madur Settlement of Kastgor & Vendratti The clans around Devnah were already becoming quite feudal and violent. Many of the more nomadic clans that were in Devnah & Thearth needed to find more open pastures and a land to call their own. A few of the clans moved north into Rhorden, but many others decided to leave the area completely, heading out along the boundary lands and into the mountains of the southeast. There the nomads found the isolated valleys of Kastgor & Vendratti. 75-104 Khalid-Ka Settlement of Vendratti In the lands controlled by Ûr clans in Khalid-Ka, three of the four major clans were controlled by Orcs. Only in Gagbin was power shared between races, but it was also the most disorganized and inefficient of all of the clans. The under-represented nomadic Ûr humans decided to leave their homeland and find a home for their own. They headed south through the mountains until they came in the high plains of Vendratti. Here they found a kinship with the Madur nomads. Eventually the language of the area would follow the Madur family, but even today, there are a few clans left in Vendratti who speak a language based off of Khalid-Ka. 84-112 Arrival of the Gnomes in the Southland Later in the period, after the were constructed, there was a strong feeling among all of the gnomes of the Khalid-Ka that they were being treated as underlings. They did not care for the overt warlike nature of the dwarves and orcs, and they could not compete with the diplomatic prowess manifested by the Orcrad and Drow. However, they knew that some piece of the world was made for them to rule. One by one, the gnomish clans of the Khalid-Ka departed their homeland for places unknown. The first clan to leave was Warbin. They had taken a path with the other nomads who wished to live in Vendratti, but instead of staying with them, they decided to move on. When they reached the coast of Eastlom, they knew that it was the warm water of the that held the key to their final destination. Warbin sent back word to the gnomish clans in Kalabor that they were on the verge of finding the new homeland. It didn’t take long for the other clans to start moving. Kalabor and Gagbin were denuded of gnomes within 2 years. Warbin had moved on in primitive sailing vessels until they came to the olive tree coasts of the Southland.14 They made landfall south of the future city of Farrish and the new gnomish homeland was founded. Links Chronology of Eirethune Previous, First Age Next, The Second Age: Plague of Ur & Ka Notes 1 Circlet of Thab Nardiak ''was believed to enhance Thab Nardiak’s ability to speak and convince others to do his bidding. In addition, it was said that the circlet allowed him to disguise himself when he wanted to, although it was said that when he did so, it would age his face afterwards for weeks. The location of the circlet is unknown. 2 ''Hammer of Ma’Ab Kharin was forged by the greatest miner of Kharin Dûn for use in constructing the great citadel. The hammer is said to be able to cut through any stone with great ease, and it also allowed Ma’Ab to find metals worthy of construction where no other dwarf thought there might be some. The hammer is believed to be in use by the current lords of Kharin Dûn. 3 Eyepiece of Thalinor Kazden was constructed from the adamantine and magicum found in the heart of the hills below Kazden Dûn. This eyepiece allowed the great engineer Thalinor the ability to see for miles, determine upcoming weather, see tremendous detail up close, and determine height/depth to the greatest degree of accuracy. The eyepiece was used by a Kazden lord during the Fourth War of the Ûr Lords, but was lost at the Bloodbath of Meisceoireacht. 4 Bridle of Aptorian Smaq was a simple lightweight chain bridle which the greatest rider in Gorgen lineage used. The Bridle could summon any riding beast that Aptorian Smaq ever trained and rode. After the destruction of the Gorgen clan by the Gagbin, the bridle was placed in the hands of the upper riders of the Dark Caste. Knowledge of its use was not known until Abdank-Godcau attacked the Thangku’Ur army at the start of the Third War of the Ûr Lords. It was lost at the Battle of Bloody Stone in 1223. 5 The Quill of Jajin Tor was used by the scribe of the greatest diplomat in Kirgandor lineage. The scribe used the Quill to permanently remember what he wrote with it. In addition, it is said that if the same scribe ever erased something that he had transcribed that had been someone’s recollection of an event, that even would no longer be remembered by the person who had made the recollection. The location of the quill is believed to still be in the rubble of Kirgandor Dûn. 6 The Great Iron & Bone Key of Kirgandor Dûn'' was said to be able to open any door no matter how large or small. However, the opener of the door would be'' drained of power, even to the point of death, depending on how formidable the door was. The location of the key is unknown. 7 The great height of the towers of Kalabor Dûn required workers and engineers to be careful of their step. There were several Boots of Badorlin Kalabor constructed by the named tailor which allowed workers to climb almost any surface without fear of falling. It is said that the boots would event allow workers to hang upside down on surfaces for a short while. There were many pairs of these boots made, most of which are probably still in the Steppes, but at least one pair is known to be in the vaults of the King of Gale’s Head. 8 The Library of Gagbin Dûn was said to be the greatest in the early years of the Second Age. History, lore of the deities, science, magic, alchemy, and all of the secret knowledge of the First and early Second Age were present in the library. When Gagbin Dûn was destroyed, the library was ordered destroyed as well. It is believed, however, that many of the tomes did escape into personal treasuries of higher Dark Caste lords. In addition, it is also known that during the migrations, many of the books were brought to both the Southland, and into Dag Dwarven Deep. 9 Grogthank used many spies to watch Kirgandor and Kabendis. The chief spy of Grogthank was Amtor Grogthank, and he researched magic to enable his spies to be as clandestine as possible. It was said that many of the best spies were equipped with Cloaks of Amtor Grogthank which enabled them to move from one shadow to another without notice. It is said that the Ûr Lords still use some of the great cloaks for their chief spies, but at least one was known to be in the vaults of Detmanth Keep prior to the Great War. 10 As one of the greatest leaders of elvenkind, Dalinien had the power to see the value and honesty of the people he met. To some extent this knowledge of a person’s inner virtue would be a tool for Dalinien’s negotiations. It is believed that some of this power was present in an amulet that Dalinien would often stroke while negotiating. The Amulet of Dalinien was lost by one of the elven lords in a raid against the Ûr Lords around the in 1164. 11 Aliania was believed to be the fastest meadow elf to have ever lived. She had made a pair of boots which enabled her to run extremely fast, and to almost permit her to run through the air, just above the ground. The Boots of Aliania were believed to work best in the open fields rather than in woods or underground. The boots had been used by the Caer Ddaden chief scout, but when he died at the Battle of Godmok Hill, they were lost somewhere in Roane. 12 Galanadran was known for his ability to work with trees and floral life. There were many stories of him beckoning trees or shrubs or vines to his command to help him move or even sit. Some of his great power in this regard was transferred to a golden leaf garland which he always wore on his head. The Garland of Galanadran'' has been in possession of the elder lord of Cellen Wood for'' many generations. 13 Dagger of De’Adoro was a great weapon of vengeance. If the wielder felt vengeful towards a particular enemy, the wielder would know the direction of that enemy depending on the distance and the vengeance felt. If the dagger struck the enemy, the enemy would bleed profusely depending on the wrong which they had done to the wielder. The dagger is believed to be lost somewhere in the or Moors of Mor. 14 The Helm of Warbin was said to allow the wearer the ability to swim, walk or breathe water as they liked. There were some side effects according to some stories, but in general, the Helm also provided a degree of buoyancy allowing the wearer to disregard the weight of their armor when in the water. For many years the helm was in the hands of the leading lords of the Southland; however, the helm was lost during a raid against the Ûr Lords in 1222, somewhere in the Lloer Moors. 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